Australian Opal Buying Guide

 We love the range of color in Australian opal. It's a very special stone that can display any color in the spectrum. We appreciate all the varieties, and carefully choose which stone will look best set in the piece its going on. The type of setting will determine the quality of stone we use; lower grade Australian Opal for silver, and the good stuff for gold or platinum settings.

Opal is found in many places, including the United States, but 90% of the supply comes from Australia. Of that, 2% is boulder opal, making it the most prized and expensive. Opal is found in small supply in a few different states of the US; Idaho, Arizona, and Nevada. Mexico produces a type of transparent opal often referred to as "fire" opal that is a different class of opaque stone without the play of color you see in Australian opal. We prefer Australian opal for the depth and unique look.

The bright, shiny pieces of opal you see in most fine jewelry are opal doublets, thin sheets of opal that have been overlayed on top of potch opal or another material. This achieves that bright iridescence you commonly see in opal jewelry, with less material. This type of opal has a much lower cost than boulder. Opal doublets really capture attention and are the best value for the money. The third step down would be a triplet, which is a doublet with another clear material over the top of the piece, such a quartz. This layer helps to protect the stone, but is usually reserved for lesser quality opal.

When choosing opal and opal jewelry you want to look for depth of color. Flashes of red or yellow that seem to dance underneath the surface, giving the stone a layered effect. The best specimens can be light or dark in color, but they will have a depth of color to them that sets them apart from cheaper stones. Better stones have more reds and yellows throughout the stone, and you want to look at the stone from every direction to see how the colors play in the light. Better quality stones will have that iridescence from every viewing angle. We love using opal in our handmade Asheville jewelry.

Australian opal has some of the most unique qualities of any colored gemstones available. We hope you enjoy opal in all its forms and find some room in your collection for this beautiful stone.

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